Public Opinion What is it?

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Presentation on theme: "Public Opinion What is it?"— Presentation transcript:

1Public Opinion What is it?The distribution of individual preferences for or evaluations of a given issue, candidate, or institution within a specific population.Taking the Pulse of the PeopleIntensity – the characteristic of public opinion that measures how strongly people felt on an issue.Latency – dormant attitudes that may be evoked into action.Salience – opinions closely associated with the lives of the individuals.

2History of Public Opinion PollsSuccesses of Literary Digest fromUsed straw polls to make predictions.Literary Digest was incorrect in 1936; error in sample.George Gallup made correct prediction.Gallup was a pioneer in scientific public opinion polls.Continues to be successful today.The sample was unrepresentative.

3Public OpinionThe proper wording and phrasing of the questions are vitally important to producing reliable, objective data.Things to consider:Appropriate language and vocabularyOpen-ended versus closed-endedNeutral wording

5Public Opinion (continued)How do we get our Political Opinions and Values? Through Political Socialization.Family – instills the basic attitudes that shape future opinions. Family environment shapes the attitudes of children.Schools – second important social institution where children develop their political attitudes. Schools teach an idealized view of the nation’s slogans and symbols.Mass Media - More than two-thirds of Americans report that they receive “all or most” of their news from television.Other Influences – i.e. Religion, Occupation, Peers

6Public Opinion Public opinion is best thought of asthe will of the peoplea diversity of opinion within a particular populationmedia reflection of public attitudesvoter attitudesWhich of the following is likely to be most accurate?A phone poll using randomly selected phone numbersA poll of magazine subscribers.Internet polls on political issues.A poll of retired persons.B, A

7Not likely, because the sample size is too small. A national newsmagazine publishes an article on efforts to restrict smoking in public places. Subsequently, the magazine receives 1,500 letters commenting on the article, with nearly two-thirds of the letters favoring tougher restrictions on smoking in public. Would this be an accurate reflection of public opinion on this issue?Yes, because the magazine has a national circulation and the sample size is sufficiently large.Not likely, because the sample is not random and probably not an accurate reflection of public opinion on the issue.Not likely, because the sample size is too small.Not likely, because the sample size is too large.b

8Public Opinion The major force in the socialization of children istelevisionfamilyschoolplaymatesThe most influential factor in forming the attitudes of children is/areintelligencepsychological and genetic traitsclass and racefamily and schoolB, d

9What is Public Opinion (continued)Stability and Change in Public OpinionPublic Opinion and Public PolicyAwareness and InterestAttentive public –those citizens whofollow public affairscarefully.Knowledge LevelsPolitics is not the major interest of most Americans and as a result, knowledge about the political system is limited

11Participation: Translating Opinions into ActionVoting – a form of conventional political participation.Registration – system designed to reduce voter fraud by limiting voting to those who have established eligibility by submitting the proper form.Motor Voter – “National Voter Registration Act” signed by President Bill Clinton in 1993.In an effort to make registration easier, states have made registration forms available at motor vehicle stations, schools, public buildings, and even highway tollbooths.

12Participation: Translating Opinions into ActionTurnout is the proportion of electorate who votes.States regulate voter eligibility.Voters are more educated and more affluent.Voters are likely to be middle-aged, women, and white.The South traditionally has a lower turnout rate.

13Why Is Turnout so Low?In 2008, 62 percent of eligible voters turned out.Most common reason for not voting is being too busy.Registration can also be an unclear process.Absentee voting can be difficult.There are a lot of elections.People are apathetic.Political parties have less influence than in earlier years.

17Changes in Voting Eligibility Standards Since 1870Year ChangeFifteenth Amendment forbade states from denying the right to vote because of “race, color, or previous condition of servitude.”1920 Nineteenth Amendment gave women the right to vote.1924 Congress granted Native Americans citizenship and voting rights.1961 Twenty-Third Amendment permitted District of Columbia residents to vote in federal elections.1964 Twenty-Fourth Amendment prohibited the use of poll taxes in federal elections.1965 Voting Rights Act removed restrictions that kept African - Americans from voting.1971 Twenty-Sixth Amendment extended the vote to citizens 18 and older.

18Ways to Improve Voter TurnoutMake registration and voting easier.- Make registration automatic- Offer more options to voteabsentee, mail-in ballots,electronic voting, online votingMake Election Day a holiday or hold it on a weekend.Strengthen political parties.Make voting compulsory.

23How Serious is Nonvoting?Why People Don’t VoteHow Serious is Nonvoting?Concerns about “class bias”Negative effect on Democratic candidatesMay indicate approval of the status quo

24An institutional barrier that blocks people from voting isdistant voting boothsregistrationunattractive candidateslack of party competitionb

25All of the following are true about voter statistics exceptmen out-vote women by a large majority.middle-aged people are more likely to vote than younger people.college-educated persons vote more than high school graduates.persons who are active in organized groups are more likely to vote.a

26The group least likely to vote is18 to 24 year oldsblue collar workerswomenathletesaThese college students feel responsible to vote and line up on campus to fill out absentee ballots.

27Voting Choices Voting on the Basis of PartyParty identification – an informal and subjective affiliation with a political party that most people acquire in childhood.Voting on the Basis of CandidatesCandidate appeal – how voters feel about a candidate’s background, personality, leadership ability, and other personal qualities.Voting on the Basis of IssuesWhile important, issues are not central to the decision process as the other two.In the absence of reasons to vote otherwise, people depend on party identification to simplify their voting choices.Dramatic increase in self-declared Independents since 1970s1980s mark a critical threshold in the emergence of a candidate-centered eraIncreasingly, campaigns focus on the negative elements of candidates’ history and personalityProspective Issue Voting - Voting based on what a candidate pledges to do in the future about an issue if electedRetrospective Issue Voting - Holding incumbents responsible for past performance on issues

28Voters tend to vote against an incumbent ifthe budget is out of balancethere is an issue conflicttheir personal fortunes are decliningthey have not implemented their campaign promises.c